Vengeance Be Mine by Louisa Lo - 4.5 stars

Book 1 in the Cosmic Balance series

Vengeance by Mine by Louisa Lo

4.5 stars

This book was great. I stayed up way past my bedtime. It was worth it though. 

Our main character is Megan. She's half vengeance demon, half trickster. There's never been one of these before so she's considered an abomination. She was bullied as a child and didn't have friends. Her dad is an arch vengeance demon so he's pretty powerful. His side of the family basically shunned her. Vengeance demon's are very proud and logical. Her mother is a trickster, a race of people who like to have fun and don't care about getting jobs or following rules. She has three trickster half-brothers and one vengeance demon half-sister. I loved all her siblings. Despite being half, they never treated Megan as an outcast. 

You feel really bad for Megan at some times. She entered a college to become a vengeance demon and she doesn't fit in. But she's good at holding her head up high and not letting her bullies get her down. But she's still a being with emotions so she has her doubts. To live on her own, she moves into an apartment on the human plane. She has a roommate who loves to cook. I found it amusing when Megan didn't understand some of her roommate's words because she wasn't human. 

What I liked most was the twists and turns that you don't really expect. The world is completely different and the world building is well developed. There aren't any info-dumps and Lo shows us the world and how things work in the right way. Show, not tell. That's a sign of a good author.  I didn't get annoyed with Megan's personality. I respected her determination. She is well developed. 

I would classify this as a New Adult book but sometimes it could be on the Young Adult side. It didn't bother me though. It's well written and captures your attention. I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this to book and I'm considering buying it. I wouldn't mind rereading it. I'm looking forward to the next one. 

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop - 5 stars

Book 2 in the Others series

Previous Others Series Reviews

Written in Red (#1)

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
5 stars

I read this book months ago and I've reread it many time since. After perusing Anne Bishops' website, I've discovered more about the Others' world regarding the layout. We start out with a preface again, introducing us to the world of the Others. This is for readers who may not have read the first book or to give us a little reminder of how everything is set up. Since it's book 2, you can skip it.

This book picks up right after Meg gets home from the hospital in book 1. Simon and Meg have become closer and now share bed every night. This relationship gets complicated after Simon being woken up and shifting back to his human form during the night. The tension that develops between the two affects the whole Courtyard. This is unsurprising as Meg is a key part of the Courtyard.

We see new sides of Simon and his confusion towards his feelings for Meg. He's a wolf that's suddenly having feelings for a human. It's obvious that he loves Meg just as she loves him but their relationship is complicated. You really feel for Simon and Meg. They don't understand what's going on.

There are new characters introduced and the tension between the humans and the Others continues to grow. The Humans First and Last movement that was casually mentioned in Written in Red is now more prominent. There are more and more issues with the drugs known as Feel Good and Gone Over Wolf. These drugs are contributing to the hatred growing between the two races.

I like that we see more character growth in all the primary and secondary characters. I did really miss having Sam in this book. He's so cute and you can't help but love him. I also really like Nathan. He's the watch wolf and we rarely see him in human form but he has a personality anyway. There are many humorous parts which compliment the dark and tense parts as well.

The Others series is one of my favorites in this genre, right up there with Kate Daniels. The world building is excellent and the characters are well developed. This was easily 5 stars. My only complaint is there isn't much fan art out there for me to fawn over.

Next up: Vision in Silver. What's going to happen next?

Written in Red by Anne Bishop - 5 stars

Book 1 in the Others series

Written in Red by Anne Bishop
5 stars

I recently discovered this book thanks to @has_bookpushers on Twitter. I inhaled this book and then moved on to the next book within days. I stayed up way to late but it was so addicting I couldn't stop reading.

This world is another unique one. There are vampires and shapeshifters but there are also other creatures that don't have names. They are known as the terra indegine or Others. The Others despise human and consider them "clever meat." They lease the land humans occupy by on the continent of Thaisa. I think Thaisa is North America in Bishop's world. There are some clues even though every country and city have different names than the real world. Bishop includes a description of the world for her readers which lays out the setting without turning into an expository essay.

We have multiple points of view and all of them are in Third Person Limited. Our main protagonist is Meg Corban. She's a difficult kind of human. She's what the Other's consider "not prey." She doesn't have the prey smell and she has a child-like innocence. She's a sweet blood. This is because she is a Blood Prophet or cassandra sangue. Meg escaped from a compound full of other Blood Prophets and winds up in the Courtyard in Lakeside. Blood Prophets have the need to cut and once the skin is cut, they see prophecies. If they speak, they feel an orgasmic-like euphoria but if they don't, all they feel is an excruciating pain.

This book...I can't believe I didn't know about it sooner. The I love the setting, the plot, the characters, everything. Even though it's set in an alternate universe, it's not hard to follow. That makes things much easier to understand. Bishop manages to explain things without the reader feeling overwhelmed with details. I love when an author can do that.

Meg's view of the world is so different and I love it. She thinks differently and that has an impact on everyone in the Courtyard. Simon, the leader of the Courtyard is a Wolf and Bishop managed to capture the essence of the Wolf and the other terra indegine shapshifters. They don't think like humans and Bishop is able to show this. I loved it. I loved the relationship/friendship that forms between the two. There is actions and fights and there Bishop doesn't hold back on the descriptions of kills.

I love this book. There isn't a heavy romance element and I find that refreshing. You can see the budding relationship between Meg and Simon but it's slow to start so we'll see what's in store for them. The world so interesting and addictive. I just want to know more. Anyone who is a fan of fantasy and alternate universes would love this book. It's like Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews or Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter sereis. The world is different yet still familiar. Ah, so amazing. Definitely a must read.

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

Book 1 in the Hidden Legacy Trilogy

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews
5 stars

This book was great. I mean absolutely awesome. I loved it. It is so different than the books out there so that makes it even better. I love the writing and the characters and the world Ilona and Gordon created. It's so different than their other works yet it's still clearly written by the wonderful duo that is

Arcane Circle

Ilona Andrews.

Our main characters are Nevada and Mad Rogan. Nevada has a pretty cool but secret power. She can tell when people are lying. She's technically called a Truthseeker. It's the third rarest gift there is. She's kept her gift hidden for very good reasons. She uses it for her investigative work as she is a PI and she knows exactly what she's doing. She's very protective of her family. They mean everything to her and she will do everything in her power to make sure they're safe. I love this about her. She may be poor but she make sure the family gets everything they need.

Then we have Mad Rogan. Mad is the perfect term to describe this guy. He's super sexy and super powerful. He spent his time in the army destroying cities and leaving nothing standing. He's a Prime telekinetic. Primes are these super powerful mages (I don't have another word for it) who basically run the world. There are different houses with different Primes.

Nevada and Rogan have to work together to bring down Adam Pierce. Nevada has no choice because the firm who technically owns Baylor Investigative Agency. House Pierce wants Adam returned alive and  unharmed. Adam is a Prime pyrokinetic. He can control fire and he likes to use it. He's really just crazy. Rogan is thrown in there because he's trying to track down his cousin's son. Rogan has no qualms with hurting or killing people. Nevada becomes his moral compass in a way.

What I love so much about this book is the interactions between Nevada and Rogan. I love the witty remarks and comebacks. It's classic Ilona Andrews. There is humor and sarcasm mixed in with all the maddness going on in the characters' world. There is a Kate and Curran like quality to the relationshop but it's different enough to make Nevada and Rogan completely separate from Kate and Curran. Nevada doesn't take crap from Rogan and Rogan finds her amusing. It's just a really good relationship and it will definitely be interesting to see where it goes from here.

This will be a trilogy with a Happily Ever After. I finished Burn for Me in about four hours. I just couldn't put it down. I got the audiobook so I can reread it again and pick up the things that I might have missed in my rapid page turning.

Ilona Andrews created a website just for Burn for Me. It gives an overview of the characters, powers, and the world they created. I recommend checking it out because it gives an easy overview without being spoilery.

Obviously I recommend this book. I love Ilona and Gordon. They're brilliant writers and I can never get enough. If there were more stars I would give it to them. Now I have to wait for the next book to come out. I am very impatient when it comes to their books. Magic Shifts (Kate 8) is the next release and I'm so ready for it to be out now. I guess I just have to stick with the regular updates to the serial Sweep in Peace.

The first cover option. 

Master of Crows by Grace Draven - 4.5 stars

Master of Crows by Grace Draven
4.5 stars

I loved this book. I absolutely loved it. Draven writes wonderfully and she is able to immerse you in her world without confusing you. There were no info dumps and the characters were well developed. I like the type of magic that occupied this world and I like how the class systems worked because it gave the story some life.

The main two characters are Martise of Asher and Silhara of Neith. Martise is a slave and is sent to Neith as an apprentice. Her true purpose was to spy on Silhara so her master, Bishop Cumbria, could find an excuse to execute him. There is extreme hatred between the two and neither bother hiding it. Martise is a well and is able to translate old texts. Silhara is in need of her abilities so he can find a way to kill the false god, Corruption. Silhara also has to try to make Martise's Gift appear. It's obvious she had it but it doesn't want to show itself.

Silhara is an ass but there are good reasons for this. He is a powerful mage who lives in squalor. Neith is a ruin for someone of noble blood. The title "Master of Crows" is an insult because they associate crows with evil and death. In truth, Silhara only uses some dark magic and not for dark purposes. At the moment Corruption wants to use Silhara as his avatar to rule the human world. Silhara is doing his best to resist the evil god but he can't resist much longer. He needs to find a way to kill him.

Martise is an average woman but with a beautiful voice. She isn't beautiful; she is plain and unassuming. She is very smart and clever however and her role as a slave serves her well. She picks up information because who pays attention to a slave? She finds that she fits in at Neith. Gurn, the servant but truly Silhara's friend, is mute but uses sign language. He cares for Silhara and soon comes to care for Martise. I like Gurn. He's a giant with a big heart despite a dark past.

We do end up finding out about Martise's Gift but it is not the Gift anyone expected. It's actually a curse. It's quite sad actually but there is an excellent reason behind Draven's choice of Gift for Martise. I like that Silhara is extremely powerful and that he is a tortured soul that Martise comes to love.

This is a fantasy-romance so obviously the two fall in love. Their love isn't instant and it's obvious that it is a difficult thing to embrace. I like how their relationship grew through the book and the discovery's they find in each other and in themselves.

There is plenty of action and suspense. The ending is a HEA for which I am grateful.  I couldn't see it ending any other way. The entire book is just written brilliantly. Her words paint the picture in your mind and you find yourself completely immersed and up way late into the night when you should be sleeping.

I highly recommend this  book. I read it in the anthology "Darkly Dreaming." I just discovered that there will be a sequel coming out. Draven hadn't planned for one but she changed her mind and decided that it sounded like a good idea. I'm excited. There is no official date yet but Draven did provide a small snippet from the next book, "The Brush of Black Wings." You can read it here. But don't read it before you read Master of Crows. Seriously, there are spoilers and this is one book you don't want to spoil for yourself.

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost - 5 stars

Book 1 in the Broken Destiny Trilogy

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost
5 stars

First off, I love Jeaniene Frost. I follow her on Twitter and she's awesome. I love her Night Huntress series so I was excited to see what she would do outside of the Night Huntress world. The Beautiful Ashes is definitely much different than anything Frost has every written and it's fantastic.

This book is based on biblical characters. There are angels (Archons) and demons, minions, crazy pets, and then there are these very special people who can save the world. Special person #1 - Ivy. Special person # 2 - Adrian. In the beginning we are introduced to Ivy's dilemma with finding her sister and the death of her parents. Then she gets saved by Adrian and her world falls down around her ears.

Ivy is left in the dark for a while in the beginning of the book. Adrian's keeping secrets and no one will tell her the whole story. Sometimes I hate first person narrative because I want to know the secrets but since the character doesn't know, I don't get to know either! Frost did a good job easing into the world that she's created by using Ivy. There were no info-dumps and no insta-love. Sure, we know that Ivy and Adrian are made for each other but they fight it and the time period of their adventures is not over three days but weeks.

In order to save Jasmine, her sister, Ivy has to find one of three hollowed weapons. Adrian can take her to the demon world where she can use her power to sense the weapon. What I liked about the demon world was how well it was created. Since there is no sun in the demon world, everything is freezing cold. Humans are considered slaves and many of them are forced into cannibalism because no plants grow there.

There are many horrors Ivy witnesses and the things she faces definitely wakes her up to her new reality. Adrian is trying to fight his fate and Ivy is trying to save him. This is never easy. But they do fall in love and they are great. I can't wait for the next book. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next adventures Ivy and Adrian will face together.

I didn't know what New Adult was until Frost started talking about her new book. It's a new genre and there aren't very many paranormal books within the NA genre. For some reason people don't seem to write books where the characters are between 18-25. Basically during the college years. But it's becoming popular now so I'm excited to see more. Hopefully more authors will be published and the genre can grow.

Watch the book trailer.

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

First off.....AWESOME. Not really what I was expecting. Actually I didn't really have expectations. I knew this would be different and a game changer. Yes, it was definitely a game changer. I know some people won't like the ending. It wasn't what I was expecting. It came out of no where but I like it. Oh boy. The next book should be interesting. When is the next book coming out? Can it be out now? Can I just know what happens?

Anyways, now for my review.

Previous Kate Daniels Reviews

Magic Bites | Magic Burns | Magic Strikes | Magic Bleeds

 Magic Slays | Magic Rises

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
5 stars (more like 10 stars)

In the previous book, Kate's lineage basically came out to the world. Really, only the important people know but it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world finds out and Kate can no longer hide. Also, Curran proposed at the end of the book and gave Kate part of the Wolf Diamond. According to the authors, Curran is showing Kate that he trusts her completely because the Wolf Diamond can basically kill him. That's pretty powerful and I'm glad they explained that in the interview. (The interview is great. It's about 50 minutes long and you can watch it here).

Now that they're back in Atlanta, they're preparing for war. It's going to come. Hugh d'Ambray knows who Kate is and now he desperately wants her. He also wants to sleep with her and fight with her and stuff. It's pretty gross actually. He is extremely powerful and has an amazing gift for healing. He can basically pull people back from the brink of death (spoilers)*.

Curran goes out of town to deal with a shapeshifter who wants to talk about the panacea that the Pack now holds a monopoly on. This leaves Kate to attend the Conclave by herself. It's a complete trap. We know this from the summary. Hugh enters and everything goes crazy. "You have until noon to turn over the murder!" It's basically a Catch 22 and it seems like war is unavoidable.

The Pack is at a disadvantage as at least half are out hunting, something the shapeshifters do in the winter months, and Curran has taken some of his good people with him. Jim, who's already paranoid is just going crazy. They know that war is not going to be a good thing but figuring out a way around it is difficult.

In the end they do find the murderer. She's an odd shapeshifter. When Hugh shows up with his army of vampires, Kate works around him. He's not too happy and he teleports her away along with Ghastek into a prison (spoilers)**. It's the prison cell from hell because they're in water and it's cold and they're starving. We do learn some interesting things about Ghastek and his back story. I liked it.

Kate gets rescued by Curran of course. Curran would tear apart the world looking for her. True love in all it's glory. Curran isn't alone. He brought along Jim, Andrea, Christopher (the man they rescued from Hugh in Magic Rises), Thomas, Robert, and a medmage, Nasrin. Thomas and Robert are the alphas of Clan Rat. The escape from the prison tower is difficult and full of surprises (spoilers).*** My heart broke at one point. I wanted to scream at the authors because how could they do that?! (spoilers)****

We meet Roland in the end. I so badly wanted to know his real name but everyone calls him Lord Roland or Sharrum (king). I was surprised by this confrontation. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting. But I think they wrote it perfectly. Roland is such a powerful character and how could they possibly end it all in one book? They couldn't and what they did was ten times better.

You'd think Kate coming face to face with Roland would be the craziest thing ever. But really, there is so much more. So much happens at the end of the book that you feel drained. A lot of things are explained in this book that we were wondering about: Nick, Naeemah, the words on Kate when she took the power word in Magic Bleeds, Kate's true power, and more. If I had been reading in the hardcover format versus the ebook, I would have paper cuts from how fast I was turning those pages. I enjoyed the ending however. I felt that it did so much for Kate and Curran's relationship and that this book has brought them even closer together. Roland is not completely dealt with but man, it's going to be great.

My absolute favorite part is Desandra using pork sword. This has been a thing for almost a year and a half going on between Ilona and Jeaniene Frost. I had to stop reading for a moment so I could stop laughing. Oh my goodness.

This review is pretty long so I'm wrapping it up. Basically, read the book. Enjoy it. Love it. It's amazing. I can't wait for the next Kate and Curran adventure.

Here are the tweets that started the whole "pork sword" thing.

Blood of the Demon by Diana Rowland - 4 stars

Book 2 in Kara Gillian

Previous Kara Gillian Review

Mark of the Demon (#1)

Blood of the Demon (#2) by Diana Rowland
4 stars

Let me start off by saying that I love this series. It's fantastic. I love the world and the characters and everything else. Rowland is very talented and she's able to get all the true aspects of the life of detective seeing as she used to be a detective herself.

This book was just as good as the first. I like the how the detective work is mixed in with the arcane. We have secrets that need to be discovered. Rowland creates these little secrets and hints to progress through the series, creating a little story arch. It's interesting and frustrating at the same time. You feel Kara's frustration at the lack of knowledge. The fact that you can feel this shows how much the reader sinks into the character. Kara is strong willed but isn't afraid to admit some of her weaknesses. She knows what she wants and she's very determined to get the answers, no matter how hard she has to work to get them.

In the previous book, Kara faced the Symbol Man, died in the demon realm, and returned to Earth. Now she's back to her regular life. Unfortunately, her aunt's essence was stripped for the Symbol Man's ritual and was lost. Kara has to find a way of getting her aunt's essence returned before her body dies. She enlists the help of Lord Rhyzkahl, the demon lord she accidently summoned in the first book and the one who saved her life in the end. The end of that book had me on the edge of my seat.

The current murders involve some pretty high ranking people in society. This causes definite problems for a a puny little detective like Kara. The two murders seem completely separate at first glance but with the othersight, Kara's gift of seeing the arcane, Kara can see that the victims' essences have been ripped out and eaten. This can cause problems in the greater scale of things but it's also very disturbing. Kara had never heard of a being that can eat essences other than a demon. Talk about intriguing.

Besides her crazy cases, Kara has to deal with Agent Ryan and his partner Agent Zack. She is definitely attracted to Ryan but he's also a bit crazy with certain things, especially with her relationship with Rhyzkahl which he thoroughly disapproves of. She also learns that Ryan's connections to the arcane is a little more than just being able to sense it. Her relationship with Ryan is a rocky one. They certainly know how to get under each other's skin but they also care about her other. I'm not sure how I feel about this certain relationship.

Then we have Rhyzkahl. He now wants Kara to be his official summoner. They would make a deal and she would summon his regularly. This is extremely problematic. Kara knows it's a bad idea but she also enjoys the sex she's having with him. He grants her a certain number of questions each time she summons him, one question involves getting Tessa's essence back. Rhyzkahl explains which ritual to perform to create a sort of beacon for Tessa's essence to follow in the void. Through this ritual, Kara discovers more secrets to the arcane that is extremely helpful (spoilers)*.

I like that we Kara's powers growing. I like character who seem normal but have more power than they realize. I like to see them grow into that power. In Kate Daniels we know Kate is super powerful but as the series progresses we see her power grow. Kara doesn't realize her potential and I like it.

Like I said, this is a great series that I will continue and I am looking forward to seeing where Kara goes next.

Previous Reviews

• Mark of the Demon (#1) by Diana Rowland
• The Curse Breakers (#2) by Denise Grover Swank
• The Curse Keepers (#1) by Denise Grover Swank

Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland - 4.5 stars

Book 1 in Kara Gillian

Mark of the Demon (#1) by Diana Rowland
4.5 stars

I've been meaning to read this book for the longest time. I bought it ages ago and then forgot about it. But I finally got to it and read it in about a day. It's so interesting and something I've not really read about before so I found myself enjoying the uniqueness. It was the perfect combination of a police procedure and urban fantasy.

This book is written in first person, from the view of Kara Gillian. Kara is finally a homicide detective and she gets her first case, the Symbol Man. 3 years previously, the Symbol Man killed 13 people and left their bodies covered in arcane symbols. The killer only chose victims who wouldn't be missed; drug addicts, prostitutes, etc. Kara had only been a street cop when Symbol Man was working but she did get a glimpse of something arcane on one of the bodies while she was guarding the crime scene.

Kara is a summoner. She summons demons from another sphere into this world. There are 12 different levels of demons and then you have the Demon Lords. Kara has finally graduated because she was able to summon a 12th level demon. Her Aunt Tessa is her mentor and taught her all about the arcane. Kara's parents died when she was really young and Tessa became her guardian. Kara has a tragic past that we learn about gradually. I think we will learn more.

That night, the Symbol Man hit again. Kara is given the lead on the case. While she examined the first body, she saw arcane symbols and runes hovering over the body with her othersight. The Symbol Man is definitely someone who knows the arcane.

Kara was trying to summon an 8th level demon when all of a sudden a gorgeous man lands in her circle. He's obviously a powerful demon because he easily brushes away all of her protections. He could have killed her but instead he seduces her and she has a super hot one night stand with him. We later learn that he is a Demon Lord and she is lucky to be alive.

Kara gets a little task team to work on the case. The Symbol Man is working up to something and his kills are becoming more frequent. Enter Agent Ryan Kristoff. He's from the FBI and he likes to work the weird cases. He's kind of the love interest in this story but not quite. It's obvious that he is attracted to Kara but since Kara lives such a crazy life, having boyfriends is not an easy thing. I like Ryan. Kara eventually tells him about her being a summoner and we learn that he has some of the othersight but not enough to be a summoner. I like Ryan. He's a great addition and provides some comic relief.

The ending part of the book was insanity. Seriously, there were so many twists that I was getting whiplash. I was thinking it was one thing and it turns out to be something different. It was a brilliant mystery and I love the surprises Rowland threw in there. The last chapter is pretty crazy and I can't wait to see what's coming in the next book.

Diana Rowland's website has a kind of glossary about the demons in her book to help with pronunciation if you want to check it out. The names can get pretty complicated.

Previous Reviews:

• The Curse Breakers (#2) by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars
• The Curse Keepers (#1) by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars
• The Girl and The Raven by Pauline Gruber - 4 stars

The Curse Breakers by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars

Book 2 in The Curse Keepers

Previous Curse Keeper Review

The Curse Keepers (#1)

The Curse Breakers (#2) by Denise Grover Swank

4.5 stars

Oy vey. This book was just as good as the first one. But it's also very different than the first one. However, the difference is not a bad thing. The writing is just as good and the plot is great. In Curse Keepers we are first introduced into the world and in Curse Breakers, we know about the world and we are seeing the consequences of the opening of the gate.

Claire and Collin are not in this book as much as the first one. I found myself missing Collin even though he's still an asshole who keeps trying to manipulate Ellie. What I love about Ellie is she has a backbone and will stand up for herself. She's doesn't let anyone push her around. She's a strong female character and I really like that.

We have a new threat in this book. Ukinim is angry at Okeus for taking his humanity. He is forced to live as a giant badger and can only appear above ground once a year. Since Okeus wants Ellie so badly, Ukinim now wants to kill Ellie and take her Manitou as revenge. About 2/3 of the way through the book, we learn why Okeus wants Ellie so badly (spoiler)*. It's such a plot twist and so freaking good. I was so shocked.

One of the main plot points is finding Ahone's mark so Ellie can claim herself. Ahone told her at the end of the last book that she could bear his mark but kindly didn't tell her what it was. The jerk. So now she has to go on a little quest to discover it. That's where we meet the new character, Dr. David Preston. David is an expert in Native Americans. He's also British. I love the English accent and you can tell he is British because of the words he uses. David and a team of other archaeologists are exploring the reappearance of the Lost Colony. I like David. He's a great guy who really cares about Ellie. He's a new love interest. I'm not sure how I feel about Ellie's relationship with him. I like David but I also like Collin. And it doesn't help that Collin's and Ellie's souls are bound together.

We also have the other threat from Marino. The creep is still after her and it's a sticky situation. It's about the Ricardo Estate and Collin refuses to tell Ellie anything. It's supposedly for her own safety. Well her safety is in jeopardy anyways so just tell her!

Tom, a cop and an old friend is really freaking annoying in this book. He has linked Ellie to all the weird things happening and she has to lie her way out of a lot of things. She ends up telling Tom about Marino and his guys that are after her but I got really annoyed with his constant appearances. Basically I want him to go away. I find his repeated inclusion a little too much. It's partly why I gave this 4.5 stars.

This book was great. I like the continuation of the plot but I also love the character development. We shall see what we have in store for the next book, The Curse Defiers.

I REALLY WANT THE NOOK BOOK. But it was published by Amazon and apparently they can't give it to Barnes and Noble. I guess I'll end up with the paperback. This is not a bad thing.

Recent Reviews

• The Curse Keepers (#1) by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars
• The Girl and the Raven (#1) by Pauline Gruber - 4 stars
• Beautiful Darkness (#2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 3.5 stars

The Curse Keepers by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars

Book 1 in The Curse Keepers 

The Curse Keepers by Denise Grover Swank
4.5 stars

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

This is one of those books that gave me a physical reaction around the end. The only reason I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because of how slowly it started off. I was annoyed with Ellie and Collin at first. Ellie's blatant refusal to believe in the curse was annoying at first but I grew to accept it.

Okay, I love this book. It's definitely gone on my favorites shelf. What I love about it is the absolute uniqueness of it. I've never read anything like it. It's urban fantasy, one of my favorite genres, but it's a completely different take on the urban fantasy/paranormal world. This story focuses on the Lost Colony of Roanoke. As many people know, the colony literally disappeared off the face of the earth. I've only read one other series, Blue Bloods, that worked with the mystery. This was ten times better.

In this version, the colony and the evil spirits were locked away behind a gate. It's basically what we would consider Hell. The Croatoan Native American, Manteo, locked the spirits and gods away with the help of Ananias Dare. The colony also gets sent behind the gates. It was a huge sacrifice and it is the reason that the colony disappeared. It's said that when the two Curse Keepers meet, the gates will open and they will have seven days to close it again.

Ellie is the current Dare Curse Keeper. She used to believe but when her mother died, she forgot everything and refused to relearn the everything she needed to know about being a Curse Keeper. Her mother didn't believe and she basically locked away her memories. It broke her father's heart because he was the Curse Keeper before her and she needed to know everything he knew. When all hell literally breaks loose, she can no longer go to him for answers because he has Alzheimer's. In the end, she does get her memories back and in a fantastic way. I love her character and her power.

Then we have Collin. He is the Manteo Curse Keeper. He's the typical smokin'
hot guy who is also a womanizer. He doesn't really care about anyone except himself. He's really an asshole in the beginning of the book and I seriously just wanted to punch him most of the time. But he is the Curse Keeper who knows the ceremony to close the gates and they need each other to close them. He's super secretive and he untrustworthy. Stupid gorgeous asshole. I love him and I hate him.

What's also great about this book is the multiple mysteries and plot lines. They aren't confusing and they add to the story. It's like Swank throws in real life with the fantasy. We get normal characters and real world problems. Ellie is broke and the family is is almost in foreclosure. Ellie also has a great best friend, Claire, and she adds to the story as well. I think it's a great little departure from the usual urban fantasies. I'll say it again, it's unique.

The ending. Oh my goodness the ending. I saw it coming but still. It was so intense and so heartbreaking and just, ah. I won't spoil it but it's just so hard to read. I seriously wanted to scream at Ellie and Collin. It was a really good ending and it set up a great story arc for the next book.

So far this seems to be a trilogy with three short stories. I'm definitely going to read the short story and I'm jumping into the The Curse Breakers as soon as I can. This is a definite recommend. Read it!!

If you want to read more about the series visit Denise Grover Swank's website and the Curse Keepers website.

Recent Reviews

• The Girl and the Raven (#1) by Pauline Gruber - 4 stars
• Beautiful Darkness (#2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 3.5 stars
• Beautiful Creatures (#1) by Kami Garcia and Margarent Stohl - 5 stars

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews Cover Reveal!

Ah! They've finally showed us the cover for Burn for Me. Ilona mentioned weeks ago that she saw the cover and she said she couldn't reveal it until the manuscript had been revealed. It's a fantastic cover and it looks like it's going to be a great series. Here is the post from her blog.

Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews

Hidden Legacy, Book 1
Release date: October 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-0062289230

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire...

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career - a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn't sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she's kidnapped by Connor "Mad" Rogan - a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan's after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she's getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be a perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

______________________________________

Ilona explained how they have had this story building slowly in the back of their minds every since they wrote a short story called Of Swine and Roses. It also built from their world of Kinsmen. Those two worlds helped them write this new novel.

I'm so excited. I can't wait to read it. Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite authors and the concept is just so unique and great. She's talked about it on her blog and over twitter. I can't wait to plunge back into duo's writing. Ilona and Gordon are very talented.

This Hidden Legacy series is going to be a trilogy and it's going to focus on the couple. It will be more like Kate Daniels in that fashion and not like The Edge. All of her fans exploded on twitter and on her blog. It's so exciting. And it's going to be a Happily Ever After series. Thank God! I'm just soooooooo excited!

What's also amazing is the price!
$5.99 for Paperback
$4.99 for e-book

Yes, I will own both.

Available from Indiebound | Powell's | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

______________________________________

This is what Ilona said about the cover:

"It's such a gorgeous, distinctive cover, melding together unique paranormal aspect of the world and the sizzle of the relationship between Mad Rogan and Nevada. It's rare when the cover captures a scene from the book exactly the way the author had imagined it. You learn to resign yourself to it. Covers aren't meant to be a literal representation of the narrative, but Burn for Me is. It actually shows a pivotal scene, especially when combined with the aerial view splashback. If you read the book, you'll know exactly what I mean. When I got the cover file, I sent it to a friend. She emailed back in minutes. The email said, "Who did you sacrifice to Cover Gods to get this?""

Erika Tsang, Ilona Andrews' Editor said:

"Burn for me is a slight departure from Ilona Andrews' other bestselling urban fantasy series. There's still the trademark snappy dialogue/narrative and action-packed scenes, but there's a stronger romance thread here that we wanted to get across right away with this cover. Our hero Rogan is not just hot and sexy, but he's powerful. Like kill-you-with-a-stare powerful. And Nevada is just as strong, only she doesn't realize her full potential yet. So I wanted to show off our couple, have that intimacy between them and not lose any kickass-ness (I know, not a real word, sorry). The background with the exploding buildings around them, the idea was Ilona's and the execution is just exquisite."

Tweets from Ilona:

And a short snippet about Mad Rogan via Twitter









Recent Reviews:

• The Girl and The Raven by Pauline Gruber - 4 stars
• Beautiful Darkness (#2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 3.5 stars
• Beautiful Creatures (#1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 5 stars

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 5 stars

Book 1 in the Caster Chronicles

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

5 stars

Beautiful Creatures is a fantastic book. I read it a long time ago and I've kept up with the series. I didn't have the chance to read Beautiful Redemption when it came out and then I completely forgot about it. Finally, Beautiful Redemption was released in paperback and I decided it was time to reread the series so I can read Beautiful Redemption.

I think this is my favorite book in the series. Usually that doesn't happen with the first book in a series. There is less emotional turmoil in this book and less angst. Don't get me wrong, I love emotions and how they're betrayed but at some points in the next two books I was getting tired of it.

Our protagonist is Ethan Wate. The story is told in first person which I like. It fits the story. Ethan lives in the small town of Gatlin in South Carolina with his dad and his second mom, Amma. Amma helped raise Ethan's dad and Ethan. A year ago, Ethan's mother died in a car accident. There are no secrets in this town. There is only one traffic light. There are no commercial stores like Wal-Mart or Target. All Ethan wants is to escape. Everyone is judgmental and a lot of them are bullies. If you don't conform then you are an outcast. Honestly, I wanted to punch most of them.

Ethan's been having extremely realistic dreams about a girl. When he wakes up he has scratches and dirt in his bed. He wakes up to a song playing on his iPod called Sixteen Moons. We find out the significance of that later. Sixteen Moons pops up throughout the book, sending out warnings.

On the first day of school, Ethan sees the girl from his dreams driving up in a hearse. Her name is Lena and she turns out to be the niece of Macon Ravenwood. Macon is the town shut in. He's the Boo Radley of Gatlin (his dog is named Boo Radley oddly enough). Already Lena is on the outside because of her relation. She does not get a warm welcome and everyone does their best to make it known that she is not welcome.

Eventually it is revealed that Lena and her family are Casters. Basically Casters are witches but they don't use that term. There are two types of Caster; Dark Casters and Light Casters. Easy enough to understand. On a Caster's sixteenth birthday they choose if they will be Dark or Light. Lena's family doesn't have this luxury. There is a curse on the family. This means the Casters can't choose, they get Chosen. This is a big deal. Lena does not want to go Dark and she's scared. Hell, I would be too. Through visions that Lena and Ethan share from an old locket, they learn the origin of the curse.

Link, Ethan's best friend, and Amma are probably my favorite characters. Amma is a superstitious seer. She talks to the Greats, her dead family members, and reads tarot cards. She uses charms to ward off evil. I like how she address Ethan. It's never "Ethan." It's always "Ethan Wate." Link is just a hilarious character. He provides some comic relief and he's just a good guy. He doesn't judge Lena and doesn't push Ethan away when everyone else in the school does. I like him.

This is a five star book. I highly recommend it. There is a lot of mystery and I like the world Stohl and Garcia created. It's not the usual paranormal world so I find it interesting. There are many twists and turns and some action that make this book fantastic.

They made this book into the movie but I'm so over watching the movies that have come from books so I refuse to watch it. I just can't see another book butchered.

Sixteen Moons

Previous Reviews:
Onyx (#2) by Jennifer Armentrout - 4.5 stars
Obsidian (#1) by Jennifer Armentrout - 4.5 stars
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout - 4.5 stars

Onyx (#2) by Jennifer Armentrout
4.5 stars

Previous Lux Series Review

Obsidian (#1)

This book basically was a bit of a shock for me. It was not what I was expecting. In Obsidian we are first introduced into the world. We learn who the Lux are, their origins, their enemies, and basically what they can do. After the big fight with the Arum at the end of the book Daemon heals Katy and this changes everything. They noticed that their heartbeats are in sync and they are connected. Daemon really likes Katy but he'd been pushing her away and being an ass through the whole first book to protect his family.

Well now that Katy is so deeply involved in their world, Daemon gives up on being the ass and pushing Katy away. He wants to be in a relationship and Katy only believes it's because of their connection. This persists through almost the entire book. It's one of the most annoying things about Onyx which kept me from giving it the five stars.

Katy starts to develop super powers that are similar to those of the Luxen. It's pretty crazy and not something I was expecting. She can freeze things and move things. Her powers are out of control and
Daemon has never heard of anything like it. Katy and Daemon decide to keep these sudden abilities a secret from everyone so they could figure it out.

We have new character, Blake. Instantly Daemon and Dee don't like him. I don't like him. It's obvious that something bad is going to happen. He witnesses Katy freezing something and later reveals that he too has powers. It's something that happens when a Luxen heals a human. They become hybrids. Blake wants to train Katy so she doesn't bring the DOD down on the town because she is a danger. They
can't risk the world finding out about the aliens of course.

This book. My goodness it has so many twists and turns. I had a hard time putting it down. There is an incredibly sad scene (spoiler)* and it breaks my heart because I knew the consequences of those actions. Sure enough it rears it's ugly head in Opal. But then there is an extremely surprising ending that leaves you in shock. Insanity.

Onyx is a perfect name for the book and I like how Armentrout decided on what to title the books. I enjoyed it and I was happy to learn more about this world they are in. Nothing is as it seems and I think anyone who reads it will thoroughly enjoy it. I'm not sure if I like Onyx more than Obsidian. Obsidian is the introduction. Onyx is a darker novel and delves deeper into the world. Ah. So good.